How to Keep Skin Moisturized in the Winter

Face facts.

We need to come clean about something: You probably don’t have dry skin. Because many of us — those who complain about having dry skin in the winter and from using harsh skincare products — are actually talking about dehydrated skin. It’s partly our own fault, since “dry skin” is a just a good, convenient catchall description when your skin feels, well, dry. But even though the two might feel the same, there’s a difference between dry skin and dehydrated skin — and they’re not interchangeable. The good news? Fixing both isn’t hard at all. Here, we give you the essentials about what makes the two different and what exactly you can do about it.

Figure Out the Difference

We’re going to get a little technical here, but bear with us: Dry skin inherently lacks sebum, which acts like a natural moisturizer. Dehydrated skin, though, is just a temporary loss of water content, explains Karyn Grossman, M.D., a dermatologist based in LA. Either way, your skin might feel dry or tight — which is why “dry skin” could apply to both if you don’t know the difference.

Tell Them Apart

The easiest way to remember which is which: Dehydrated skin is temporary, while dry skin is not. “Dry skin is something that one has genetically, or it may develop over time with age as your oil glands shrink,” explains Dr. Grossman. If you have dry skin, you’re stuck with it. Dehydrated skin, on the other hand, comes and goes. If your skin usually feels fine but begins to get dry and tight in the winter months or after using a new cleanser, chances are, it’s just dehydrated. It’s worth remembering that dry skin can also be dehydrated, too, says Grossman. A little confused? Don’t worry — treating either (or both) is simple.

Treat Them Together

Since dry skin is due to a lack of lipids, which are an essential part of your skin’s protective moisture barrier, you need to make up for that loss with an occlusive ingredient. (Coconut oil, shea butter, olive oil, lanolin, and dimethicone are some common ones — try a lotion like DHC Extra Nighttime Moisture.) It creates a makeshift lipid barrier over your skin to prevent moisture from seeping out. Meanwhile, dehydrated skin is thirsty skin. So you need humectants, which draw water into the top layers of skin, says Dr. Grossman. Good ones include hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, and glycerin (we love The Body Shop's Aloe Soothing Day Cream). As with everything, though, this is all about teamwork. “If you just use humectants and don’t have enough of your own lipid layer to keep the moisture in, it won’t stay there,” says Dr. Grossman. So your best bet — whether your skin is dry, dehydrated, or a combo of both — is to use a moisturizer that contains both humectants and occlusive ingredients. The best part of all: Most moisturizers do, so it might already be in your skincare stash. It’s a skin win.